Improvement in trace-lock



J. BfsHAw, 0E NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

PAT-ENT EEICE.

IM PROVE'NI ENT IN TRACE-LOCK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,590, dated February 28, 1865.

To all whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, J. B. SHAW, of New Ilaven, in the county o t' New Haven and State ot' Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trace-Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact desciiption of the same, when taken in4 connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, and which said drawings constitute part. ot' this specification, and represent, in

Figure l, a perspective view; Fig. 2, a top or plan view, and in Fig. 3 'a differentconstruction of the same invention.

My invention rtl-.ttes to improvement in sec r'ng the traces of a horses llames to the whiftletree.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to fully describe the same, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The eontrivances for securing traces to the y whiietree are many and various, but as a general thing the introduction of a spring or its equivalent is requiredin their construction, which soon becomes useless from breakage or ill usage. The necessity for a trace-lock in which such diliieulties' or dangers did not exist has suggesed my improvement.

A is a common whit'tletree, its end bound by la metallic ring or band, B. G is a hook formed with a shank, D, and driven into the end of the whi'iletree, (as seen in Fig. 2,) made of round metal and flattened upon the upper side, commencing at a., and gradually thinner to the point d. (See Figs. l and 2.) E is a second hook, formed with an eye, F, through which the shank D ot' the hook G is passed,

and so as to turn freely thereon. The hook Eis curved to correspond with the hook C, and is attened in similar manner upon the under side, so as to t the flattened side of the hook (l, and the two together to forma round body, as seen in Fig. l.

lo attach the trace, turn up the loose hook E, (as denoted in red, Fig. 1, and seen in black, Fig. 2,) place the eye ot' the trace H over the hook C to the position in red, Fig. 2, so as to allow the hook E to drop down into its place, as in Fig. l; then allow the trace to assume its natural position, as in black, Fig. 2. The eye of the trace will encircle both hooks and cannot be removed until the trace is again turned to the position in red, as before described, so as to allow the hook E to be raised from the hook (l, as before.

Thus I construct a strong and positively safe trace-lock, adapted to all kinds of eyes, cheap and durable in construction.

In Fig. 3 the same arrangement is illustrated, with this difference, that the swinging hook E is placed at the end of the shank, while the hook C is formed solidly to the shank, close to the end of the whiftletree. I prefer the rst-described as equally as good and cheaper in construction.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein-described tra ce-lock, constructed substantially as specified.

J. B. SHAW.

Witnesses:

J CHN E. EAELE, RUEUs SANFORD. 

